NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance that was formed on 4 April 1949 by the former Western Allies of World War II, with the United States, United Kingdom, and France being the main original members. It was formed to counteract the Soviet Union's extension of influence to Eastern Europe, and the Warsaw Pact in the Eastern Bloc was formed in reaction to NATO. 28 states were members of NATO after Albania and Croatia joined in 2009, and NATO is one of the longest-lasting military alliances in recent history. It survived the Cold War unlike the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, and its refusal to disband has led to continued tensions between Russia and the West, with Russia seeing the continuation of NATO as an organization as a sign that the West still did not trust Russia.